OVERVIEW

With over half a century of R&D behind it, the LandCruiser range has rightfully built a reputation for tough-as-nails capability.

That’s not all. Get behind the wheel of the range-topping LandCruiser Sahara, and we don’t think anyone would dispute that this interior is an extremely pleasant place to be.

TMR was thrown the “keys” (or the small plastic box that passes for keys these days) to Toyota’s recently updated, giant, LandCruiser Sahara V8 twin-turbo diesel for a weekend on and off the bitumen.

Is it worth the extra money over the entry-level LandCruiser which, incidentally, has the same V8 diesel engine?

That’s what we set out to find out.

INTERIOR

Quality: Toyota has made a special effort with the interior of its most expensive car in Australia. You’d describe it best as ‘sumptuous’.

There’s wood-grain finish to the steering wheel and centre console surrounds, leather seats and a quality fit and finish all-round.

It is also limousine-quiet... but with a difference. Plant the accelerator and you’ll be reminded with a deep rounded growl of what is nestled under the bonnet.

Our only gripe about the interior is the interior light switch in the front. It isn’t in an obvious location and is awkward to find.

Comfort: What do you get for all those extra dollars the Sahara demands? Comfort in spades.

There’s lashings of leather on the generously-wide heated and cooled electric seats (though they’re flatter than we like) with three memory settings for the driver, electric adjustable steering column, drinks chiller in the centre console, and two-way sun visors.

And, despite the acreage of space inside, the steering column automatically retracts as you turn the ignition off to ease entry and exit.

Equipment: The Sahara also comes with four-zone climate-control, cruise-control (but not radar-guided), moon-roof, sat-nav, Bluetooth, USB port, remote control DVD player with drop-down screen in the rear, keyless entry, several cameras and a centre console compartment capable of chilling drinks.

There is even a good old-fashioned cigarette lighter and ashtray!

Storage: Big? There are vast expanses of floor and cargo space - the back section alone offers 1276 litres of luggage space.

All of the rear seats are reasonably easy to fold down or remove but even with the second row of seats in place, the luggage area is still enormous. There are also ample cupholders and storage pockets.

ON THE ROAD

Driveability: The engine is an obvious standout; a 4.5 litre, twin-turbo V8 diesel with 195kW of power. It is effortless on road, and capable of a surprising turn of speed.

Such is its grunt that towing - as attested by waves of nomads - barely taxes its power reserves.

The Sahara can easily trundle along at highway speeds in top gear, using the enormous 650Nm of torque to maintain momentum. It can, but sometimes, it doesn’t. We found the Sahara quite eager to kick-down a gear when it simply wasn’t necessary.

(You can overcome it by selecting “power” mode; then the transmission holds gears longer and is considerably more decisive.)

Toyota claims 10.3 l/100km, and our figure of 13.6 l/100km suggests that a sub-eleven fuel figure would certainly be possible when on the highway.

We must make mention here of the Sahara’s sheer size. It’s long, wide, heavy and tall, and on narrow multi-lane roads it pretty much consumes the entire lane.

If you step out of a small car and into this one, be prepared to allow some time to adjust. That said, it did pass the industry-standard “fast-food drive-thru” test, if only just.

Refinement: On the freeway, cruising along in sixth gear at low RPM is as relaxing as in any long-wheelbase sedan. There is minimal tyre noise and the V8 diesel is barely noticeable when not working hard.

Overall, despite that diesel in the nose and workhorse origins, noise, vibration and harshness, all those things that wear you down on a long drive, are very well damped

Suspension: The luxo Sahara has been set up with a preference for tarmac. It’s reasonably balanced on road and body-roll is not excessive, allowing for its size that is.

The steering doesn’t involve the workout that you may expect either. Although the steering wheel is proportional to the size of the car (large), you don’t get the feeling that you are driving a Kenworth.

But reverse into a parking space and you will notice every inch of that massive body. That’s when the numerous cameras come in handy.

Braking: The Sahara has 340mm ventilated discs on the front and 345mm ventilated discs on the rear.

The fact that the rear brakes are larger than the front gives you some idea of the effort required to bring the 2720Kg kerb weight under control (apart from the towing advantage it offers). But the brakes manage quite well, and the nose doesn’t dive too much under heavier braking.

OFF ROAD

We took the Sahara through grassy plains, creek crossings, over fallen branches and across moguls. At no point was the four-wheel-drive system seriously challenged.

Tackling a rocky climb is simply a matter of letting the V8 diesel idle up and over in first gear.

The width of the Sahara makes for a few tight spots when negotiating narrow tracks; the electric folding mirrors came in handy at that point.

In low-range 4WD, the Sahara gives the driver a choice of five driving modes; rock, rock and dirt, mogul, loose rock and finally mud and sand. Wherever you find yourself, it is effortless in either.

WARRANTY AND SERVICING

Service costs: All Landcruiser 200 Series models currently get capped-price servicing (capped at $210) for up to six standard scheduled services

HOW IT COMPARES | VALUE FOR MONEY

Nissan Patrol Ti-L ($113,900 plus on-road costs). The top-of-the-range large Nissan SUV costs $6,000 less than the Sahara. It also gets an extra forward ratio, with a seven-speed automatic instead of six.

Like the Toyota, the Patrol comes well-equipped but the major difference – and it is significant – is it can only be bought with a 5.6 litre V8 petrol engine, with no diesel option. (see Patrol reviews)

Range Rover HSE ($143,569 / $168,900 plus on-road costs). Only the cheapest of the Range Rovers comes close to the price of the Sahara, but the RR stable is a benchmark in premium SUV motoring.

With this HSE spec, you will have to make-do with the twin-turbo V6 diesel, but it produces an impressive 600Nm of torque and combined fuel figure of just 7.5 lt/100Km. (see Range Rover reviews)

Toyota LandCruiser Prado Kakadu ($91,490 plus on-road costs). There is every argument that the Sahara’s little bro’ in the Prado range will do the same job as the Sahara – but for $20,000 less.

Like the Sahara, it is chock-full of luxury and, despite a smaller diesel, has arguably even more ability off-road.

While the Kakadu is by no means small, it is at least smaller than the Sahara. (see Prado reviews)

Note: All prices are Manufacturer’s List Price unless stated otherwise and do not include dealer delivery or on-road costs

TMR VERDICT | OVERALL

A test drive of the LandCruiser Sahara will have you questioning how you ever did without a moon roof, chilled centre console and all of the other toys.

But all this luxury comes at a price. When it’s time to open the wallet, the question might easily become “what can I live without…” After all, the 200GX with the same potent V8 is nearly $40k less.

If your sole purpose is to go off-road, there are plenty of cheaper (and smaller) options than the Sahara that won’t make quite such a hole in the budget.

But for the best of everything in a very large and very powerful SUV – and you don’t want to spend Range Rover money – you will find Toyota’s Sahara most satisfactory.

TMR Comments

The Truth Fairy | 26 May 2013 06:21

And if you need the starter motor looked at expect a huge bill, It is buried deep in the V under all the intake system, 6 hours labor plus parts.:(
Oh and the design is such that water gets down into that same location!:D

FrugalOne The Truth Fairy | 28 May 2013 03:42

And if you need the starter motor looked at expect a huge bill, It is buried deep in the V under all the intake system, 6 hours labor plus parts.:sad:
Oh and the design is such that water gets down into that same location!:laugh:

Be that as it may, better you NEVER need to replace it, and that it would work perfectly fine even under water completely

The Truth Fairy FrugalOne | 29 Sep 2013 07:37

They are already being replaced due to the design allowing water ingress.
A set of injectors at 100,000, better have deep pockets for that also.

True Believer The Truth Fairy | 16 Jan 2014 07:05

I have 210,000 on my GXL with not one warranty issue, look after you equipment and it will look after you.
It has spent one third of its time on dirt roads in central Qld, spare me the dribble!!

Francis Mugwanya True Believer | 04 Dec 2014 19:38

Would you be considering selling you GXL anytime soon. I am looking for an affordable GXL to use for Charity work on Uganda. My team and I drive to rural community for one week every month and we give away wheelchairs. Please let me know.

FrugalOne The Truth Fairy | 28 May 2013 03:43

The *REAL* best vehicle in the world, speaking of which when the world ends only cocroaches and these will be left on the planet :-))

F-Noze | 26 May 2013 06:35

A big ugly lump... One for the off road crowd to appreciate.

Paul | 26 May 2013 11:21

I remember getting bogged to the axels going to work when I was an apprentis the farmers wife was revving the crap out of it I thought we would never get out ItDID !!! And it copped this abuse often in all conditions nothing else could do it last I herd it did over 650 000 kys and hardly touched 2nd to none .

mackson | 26 May 2013 14:05

Looks luxurious but a bit too big for my liking, especially for the price.

matt | 26 May 2013 23:57

A 70 series LandCruiser Wagon is a lot cheaper and will get you to Cape York...

SamK | 28 May 2013 12:34

I know of two needing new engines in under 6 months...hmmm.

Pam Edwards | 17 Jul 2013 03:49

What is the most reliable Toyota Lancruiser turbo diesel with automatic transmission? Need one to tow a 2.5 ton off road caravan around Australia.

CAZZO Pam Edwards | 17 Jul 2013 05:03

What is the most reliable Toyota Lancruiser turbo diesel with automatic transmission? Need one to tow a 2.5 ton off road caravan around Australia.

Troop Carrier, man. tranny though, BULLETPROOF :)

Greg CAZZO | 15 Oct 2013 23:22

Phill Greg | 06 Feb 2014 11:40

I have a 100 series japanese import . I love it , it's my everyday drove car . It is a Vx limited 101 series , 1HD 4.2 diesel turbo . I'm interested in finding out about chipping it and a different exhaust system . If you could give me some info that would be great .

bushwaker Phill | 12 Feb 2014 18:20

You can get huge numbers f/ the FTE mate. 250k/w and 650n/nm upwards. Let me know how to contact you

Max | 23 Jul 2013 13:28

I own one of these amazing Sahara , and I love it.
I use it for towing, and work, then give it a wash and its comes up like a limo.
This is the most comfortable and reliable cars I have ever owned.
The resale is excellent .
Personally I would not even consider any thing else ,
But the "king off road".

Richard Max | 23 Aug 2013 13:45

I also have the mighty Sahara TTDV8 but it also has a DPChip and TaipanXP 3inch mandrel bent exhaust and dyno tuned and wow std 195kw now 275kw 650nm now 1120nm its an absolute rocket even with my 3t van behind love it best vehicle ever

Nicky Barratt Richard | 30 Oct 2013 01:00

Hi mate where did you get up grade work done looking at getting mine hoted up soon as warinty runs out I'm towing a 3.5 ton boat round with mine and hoping in hoting it up gives better fuel consumption

Nicky Barratt Nicky Barratt | 30 Oct 2013 01:22

Has anyone els had trouble with front tyres scrubbing out big time on the out side ! I have had to have 4 rotations so far to get 32 k out of vx 200 2013 from new ! And the sterio I'm on my second one and the blue tooth still no good

Raymond & Jackie Nicky Barratt | 13 Feb 2014 19:52

Hi Nicky, We have a Sahara year 2010 first set front tyres 70,000 km, rear set 128,000 km no rotating of tyres and never used spare.
Had new tyres the same put on front & wheel a linement 20,000 km all over red red rover, gone completly on out side edge, back tyres still on there.
Tyre company made all excuses under the sun, still cost me another new set tyres and they played with alinement tyres still kept wearing on out side, took it back couple times end up giving up took it to another & spoke with mate who is manger of tyre business in Darwin set wheel a linement back to factory settings slow wear right down. Will not know how good it all is till that set of tyres are worn out.
Was all so told must keep tyre pressure up around 40 to 42 psi in front due to weight of the V8 motor.
Do not like the I dear of rotating tyres
Sahara all but 4 years old no other problems only fuel filter & that was dirty fuel.
Regards Raymond & Jackie

Rob Champion Nicky Barratt | 05 Mar 2014 11:34

Hi Nicky, yes mate I find that the LHF scrubs on the outer edge. I have had 3 rotations and whelk alignments in 30k. I am constantly being told that all wheel drive vehicles do it. The Bluetooth has issues connecting at times and the hands free is hard for other people to hear, this may be weak signal from carrier? But if you disconnect and go to handset all is good? Just discovered that at 30.3k oil is down to halfway on the dipstick, hasn't used a drop till now?

neil bradley | 21 Nov 2013 07:03

the latest sahara is the worst model yet, and i have had every model since 78,
the latest sahara sucks dust like a $200 bomb,
it also lets water in up through the drain holes in the doors and into the car through the speakers, i have never had these problems before even after driving through many km's of bonnet deep water, and living 130 klm from the nearest bitumen have never had the dust problem in any other model, also the fog lights keep falling out, there is no seat memory either, i would not reccomend this model to any one.

bushwaker neil bradley | 12 Feb 2014 18:25

Now there s a man who uses it for what its built for. I agree with him on the dust and water issues 100%. A lot of people who are driving these trucks are no longer using them for offroad. A trip down the beach or gravel/dirt track now and again is not "Offroad."

Bear neil bradley | 28 Jan 2015 06:58

There is a seat memory setting in fact 3, the vehicle does not suck dust. Fog lights do not fall out of the bull bar fitted, which I suggest you would have being such a bushie and all... Best car I have ever owned, but I probably like the 100 series sahara better as the suspension settings were manualised for dampner and height. Sahara 2014 is a bit disappointing due to the change in active suspension levelling feature. But we love the steadfast road handling only offered in the Land Cruiser range. Unbelievable presence on the road, safe for country areas being a fair risk of having to put one wheel into the dirt when meeting another vehicle on single roads. Bloody love that I can afford for my wife and daughter to ride in this beast )& in comfort!! Lots of good additions especially the front seat aircon. Cheers, Bear

Philippe richard | 03 Jan 2014 11:13

Just buy a 2013 landcruiser and it can't read a DVD I hear the sound but I can't see the image
Thank you for your hel

Dasha hall | 11 Jan 2014 01:59

:)Am on my 2nd GXL no problems at all uses a bit of oil but so what oil is cheap ,had 4 GU patrols previous, they were tough but rough as guts to ride in the cruiser is so quiet I can hear the digital clock with the 4.5 motor

Bartly Kelly | 30 Jun 2014 06:47

I'd dispute its credentials, 30 odd thousand in repairs!!!! Toyotas answer, oh well its out of warranty.. don't keep them past the warranty period. cheers

Jamie Bartly Kelly | 25 Aug 2014 02:08

Took my GXL 200 (134k on the clock) to dealer with eng light on, they said it needs injectors, they fit new injectors, eng light on again, took it back to them, after a week they ring to tell me engine has seized WTF? Claim no fault of their own. Cost me 20k for exchange engine. Should have done my research. Going back to 100series 1HDT

NEIL | 18 Sep 2014 13:18

You can only get a trip computer in the VX or SAHARA models. This sad FACT is never mentioned by the reviewers. WHY?

Kevin | 09 Nov 2014 07:23

I have a 200 Series GLX TD from new 157K turbo needed to be replaced
Dealer wanted 7K to repair so I found a 2nd Hand with 40k on it and had the local Mechanic do the job for a total of $1800 including a full service.
Had quite a few warranty issues from steering wheel replacement(needs replacing again)now have 192K no more problems other than oil use.

Peer | 17 Jan 2015 13:44

I just did a trip from Victoria to Broome WA and return.Most of the trip was on bitumen with just under 400 ks on dirt.The big 200 didnt miss a beat with 40 degrees plus outside for most of the trip. The climate control worked a treat.

Mr.Truth Peer | 21 Feb 2015 19:45

U will find that 99.94% of the vehicles on the Aussie market would have the exact same result of your trip..

A | 21 Feb 2015 09:53

It looks horrible! The front end reminds me of a pig with lip stick!

Richard | 08 May 2015 23:48

Has any one noticed a significant drop in oil pressure at cruising speed after the vehicle has 140000kms. My oil pressure guage used to run just below the half way point now it's down to just below the quarter mark. The vehicle is regularly services and looked after.

JB Richard | 17 Jul 2015 05:28

My 2008 yr VDJ series now has 328,000 on the clock and no issues of any type. It tows 3.5 tonnes weekly and is the best 4WD i have ever owned.
Interesting reading the rubbish scam material that is written here though.
The oil pressure is ok as long as you are not using cheap oil.
I have used CJ4 grade since new due to its low ash deposits but it is not cheap, $7.00 per litre.

Steve Richard | 21 Oct 2015 04:58

200 series - 152k km oil presure just dropped to just above the L mark - just below 1/4 mark when cold now - was running abouit 1/4 mark until recently - any ideas or help - just aboiut to phone Gladstone Toyota for help Thanks

Mal Steve | 11 Apr 2017 13:45

Am just trading a 2003 100 series Sahara for a 200 series. Have had it from new just under 300,000ks mostly gravel roads. No problems in 14 yrs still original exhaust. Can still recommend it to a S/H buyer.

ROD | 14 Oct 2017 23:52

HAVE JUST PURCHASED A 13 L/C SAHARA, AFTER ITS FIRST TRIP
FROM NEWCASTLE TO GOLD COAST IT RETURNED 13.6 LTS/100 KM.
THERE WERE TWO ADULTS PLUS THE REAR FILLED WITH LUGGAGE.
SITTING ON FREEWAY SPEEDS. PRETTY FAIR ON THE FUEL I RECKON.:)